I ? You
by Anzu Red
Summary: Keiichi, Mion, and club activities.


I think I gave myself diabetes by writing this. Anyway, I've never really written anything before, but it was a pretty fun experience. Please offer your harshest criticism with nothing held back so I can better my abilities.

* * *

"The 'I Love You' game?" The brown haired youth gazed up suspiciously at the green haired waitress sitting across from him.

Shion nodded in affirmation, putting on a smile that could dazzle anyone who didn't know her better. She leaned forward, flaunting her considerable assets that were only magnified by Angel Mort's revealing uniforms, inwardly smirking as she saw Keiichi's mental defenses shattering. "Exactly. You're in high school but don't know about it, Kei-chan? Do you need me to explain the rules?"

"N-no, I know it. All you have to do is say 'I love you', the other person says 'once more', and the first to blush loses, right?" Keiichi stuttered as his gaze flickered back and forth between Shion's eyes and her exposed skin. "What I don't get is why you needed to drag me in here to ask about it." Regaining his composure, the teen grumpily gestured at the restaurant around them. It had only been about 10 minutes ago that the two had run into each other in Okinomiya, where Keiichi had just finished running errands for his parents, and Shion had been on her way to her part time job. A devious spark had gone off in the girl's eyes, and she had dragged Keiichi inside, sitting him down and ordering him to stay there until she came back to talk to him.

"Oh, no real reason. I just thought uncle could do with some more business." Shion shrugged. A fuse blew in Keiichi's head as he stood up to leave. "Wait! I really did want to ask you about that game though. Don't you finally want to beat sis and her friends and put them on the other side of your punishment games instead?"

Keiichi stopped in his tracks. What the green demon was proposing did sound tempting. It had been a full two weeks now that the boy had been on a total losing streak in the club, with the punishments only having steadily grown worse. His eyebrow briefly twitched as he recalled the humiliating outfits Mion had forced on him over the past week. The French maid uniforms had been bad enough, but the recent 'attire' the girl had been punishing him with left practically nothing to the imagination.

Sonozaki Mion. His best friend and, as of late, the one person above anyone he needed to get revenge on. Every time he closed his eyes, he could still hear the rowdy tomboy's obnoxious hooting as she had watched him sprint home in the bikini he'd been forced to wear after a wayward game of poker. Even at night, her taunting face constantly appeared in his head and even permutated his dreams, turning them into what he guessed were nightmares, though he never really remembered too well what they were about. Keiichi's face broke into an expression of unbridled delight as he considered the thought of what he'd have his rival do for him when the tables finally turned. Maybe having her grovel at his feet and apologizing for everything she'd done to him, or having her fix him lunches for a week, or even getting her to wear to school the sexy devil costume he knew she had prepared for one of his future punishments. Behind him, Shion wore an entirely different expression, laughing as she remembered the furtive glances her sister had stolen at Keiichi's admittingly toned body when she thought no one had been watching. She calmly finished the boy's drink, knowing it'd only be another minute before he gave in.

Her beliefs were confirmed as the Maebara youth turned back, a look of ambition and a desire for retribution clearly visible on his face. "Tell me more."

* * *

Mion sighed as she glanced up at the clock. Only a bit longer until the school day would end. Chie's lecturing had long since become a dull drone to her ears, and now she was just hoping for the bell to save her before she was called on. As long as she kept her pencil moving, it worked at least 3/4ths of the time, anyway. Quietly, she turned her focus back to the boy sitting in front of her, who, as far as she could tell, actually WAS paying attention. Mentally, she noted to herself to seize and copy his notes later. Of course, she knew he would lend them to her if she asked, even if he grumbled about it, but it was so much more fun to tease him about it as she stole them. More than likely, he would unsuccessfully try to grab them back from her, probably trip a trick wire set by Satoko along the way, and get a bucketful of water for his troubles. He might get angry for a minute, but Mion knew that, after giving a good flick to the trap master's forehead, he'd be sharing that warm smile of his to everyone. The Sonozaki heiress scoffed at her rival's naivety. That was exactly why he fell for the same exact traps every morning when he entered the classroom.

"But then," A small voice, sounding annoyingly like Shion, chimed in her head. "Isn't that one of the great things about him?" Mion felt herself flush slightly pink, and shook herself violently to get those thoughts out. Catching a death glare from her teacher, she swallowed nervously and pretended to write once again. The little voice wasn't entirely wrong. As averse as she was to outright admitting it, she knew she was more or less head over heels for the city boy, ever since he had first come to Hinamizawa. What had started as a minor crush spurred by the competitive nature the two shared had rapidly blossomed into something more, and as far as she knew, everyone but the boy himself could see it. Permitting herself a frustrated groan, she privately wondered how she could make anything happen between them. Should she? At the very least, Mion had expected SOMETHING might have changed after the club had beaten destiny and saved the town a year ago, that the experience might have given her the bravery to be more open to her feelings, but the group's dynamics had been the same as ever.

Snapping out of her thoughts, she noticed Rena glancing at her notebook and holding back giggles. Looking down, she realized she had unknowingly drawn a doodle of her and Keiichi under an umbrella. Angrily crumbling up the offending paper, the bell to mark the end of the day began ringing.

As students filed out of the classroom, Mion kicked back her chair and threw her arm in the air, yelling to no one in particular. "It's finally time for club activities, everyone!" Her eyes blazed with anticipation as Rika and Hanyuu finished pushing their desks next to the others. "Alright, today let's play this new foreign game I bo-"

"Sorry, Sis." Shion interrupted, bag packed and already over her shoulder. "I'm afraid I have other matters to attend to today. But have fun punishing Kei-chan." As she turned to leave, she threw a wink at the so-named boy, which he returned with a small smirk.

Unperturbed, Mion just shrugged. It wasn't unusual for her sister to suddenly decide to visit the clinic. As she made to continue, Keiichi suddenly stood and spoke as well. "Hold it Mion. Before we start, let's try a quick bonus game. Complete with punishments and everything."

"Oho?" Mion grinned. "If you wanted to be punished more that badly, you just had to ask, Kei-chan." The boy had been on a losing streak for a while now, and it didn't seem like that was going to change anytime soon. But somehow, he seemed unaffected, and only smiled triumphantly.

"Yeah. We're going to play the 'I Love You' game." The air in the room immediately grew tense. Satoko had lost her usual arrogance and looked confused, while Rena looked torn between apprehension and interest. Rika just looked mildly amused. Mion, surprisingly, looked the most stunned out of all of them. If Keiichi hadn't known better, he could have sworn she wore a light blush on her face.

"W-what do you think you're doing, stupid Keiichi?" Satoko hissed at him, flushing red. The boy opened his mouth to retort when Mion spoke out. Seemingly having recovered from her shock, she smiled and held up her hand.

"Sounds interesting. Let's do it. But be prepared for an even worse punishment when you lose."

"Of course! Likewise, I hope you're ready to face all the punishments I've had to suffer these past weeks, Mion."

* * *

Rena had been an easy conquer as expected, going bright red even before Keiichi had said anything. Satoko had also fallen almost instantly, retreating from the room with tears in her eyes while spewing curses at her opponent. Keiichi had wondered whether the little monster would even be weak to this kind of game, but Shion's intuitions about her little sister figure had been spot on. Now, the two of them were dressed in a school swimsuit and maid outfit, respectively, fanning the winner as he faced down his next challengers.

Rika had gone down quicker than he expected, taking only 4 rounds of back-and-forth before she broke. Underneath that calm and wise personality was still just a 13-year-old girl, after all. The Furude shrine maiden was currently wearing a dark expression as she massaged Keiichi's shoulders while wearing her custom Angel Mort uniform.

Shockingly, the match with Hanyuu had ended in a total draw. While Keiichi had expected it to be a quick victory, given the girl's usual nervousness, he had been met with a tranquil, almost motherly wall, that hadn't given way no matter how many times the two had gone back and forth. With the match going nowhere, they eventually agreed to call it off. When questioned afterwards, the horned girl gave a cryptic reply of already having been married, or something like that. Now she stood to the side, watching as Keiichi took on the final, toughest opponent.

Mion glared at the boy sitting across from her who was drooling in barely disguised anticipation at whatever lust driven punishments he had ready for her. Wearing a stoic mask of conviction, she looked ready to beat her rival at his own game. Inwardly though, silent screams filled her mind as she sought a way to emerge unscathed from this scenario. As much as she acted like a guy most of the time, she was still very much a girl, a girl facing her crush no less, and there was no doubt that Keiichi would win this game if he managed to get out his words. Briefly, her mind flashed to the doll that he had given her so long ago, and how painfully OBVIOUS it had been that everyone had clearly seen through her façade as she tried to deny her desire. Mion frowned. At the time, being treated like an actual girl by Keiichi had been a wholly unexpected and wonderful event, but now that same feeling would bring about her downfall. Already feeling her face starting to heat up, she quickly slapped herself and, ignoring the questioning looks or knowing smiles from her club mates, she tried to think of more ways to avoid this confrontation.

"But, did she really want to avoid it?" The same small part of her from before questioned. As much of a hit it would be to her pride to lose, Mion knew that, even if it was only part of a game, it would make her genuinely happy to hear those words from _him_. Did it really matter if she let herself lose this one game if it meant satisfying her inner self? Casting a shy glance at the enemy, she found herself accidentally meeting his eyes, and quickly looked away.

Well, it would be fine if she lost, wouldn't it? After all, Keiichi deserved to have a bone thrown to him once in a while, right? Mion couldn't say she was being truthful if she said she didn't feel somewhat guilty about the more humiliating punishments that she occasionally subjected him to. And it's not like this was a real club activity, just a bonus game as he had put it, there'd be plenty of opportunities to seek revenge afterwards.

Then again, he WOULD look really good in that speedo she had picked out for him.

"You ready, Mion?" came his voice from across her. The girl in question yelped and shot up straight to face him. She had decided. It went against club rules and her own pride, but it wouldn't be that bad to let Keiichi win this one round, if it meant he got to say those magic words to her. And maybe…

"Bring it on, Kei-chan!"

* * *

Keiichi stared at his best friend, who seemed to be having some kind of mental dilemma. Here it finally was, the chance to humiliate Mion and make up for everything she had done to shatter his male dignity during punishment games. Unconsciously licking his lips, an idea popped into his head, and he decided to up the antics. "Why don't we make this more interesting, Mion? If I win, you'll follow my every order for the next three days."

He smugly proposed the idea, both knowing that Mion's pride would prevent her from turning it down, and counting on being able to strike at the feminine side he knew she still had under her tomboy exterior.

Green eyes flared in intrigue. "And if I win?"

"Then…" Keiichi swallowed once in spite of his confidence. "…I'll do the same." There's no way he would lose, he couldn't allow himself to lose. But still, the thought of being subjected to Mion's every whim sent a chill down his spine.

Off to the side, Rena sadly shook her head. "Why does Rena feel like this will end really badly for Keiichi?" she wondered aloud.

"It always does." Rika replied, watching the two with mild interest.

"Hmmm…" Mion closed her eyes, pretending to think deeply over the matter. "You've got yourself a deal, Maebara Keiichi! Now, prepare yourself!" Only Rena noticed her right hand trembling slightly. She met his gaze with, Keiichi noticed, none of the usual assurance he had come to expect from her. No time to ponder over the details though, for he knew he had to win this game.

As he stared back into her emerald green eyes, prepared to say the words that both knew would end this, he froze up. He cursed himself for choking up, and tried to begin again, but failed a second time. What the hell was wrong with him? It was just Mion, after all, and this was the opportunity of a lifetime. Yet for some reason, he found himself unable to speak as he looked back at her already-slightly pink features. Keiichi felt his title of "Magician of Words" collapsing around him as he continued to stammer while taking in the sight of his rival.

"I-I- "The boy continued to trip over his words, and tried to clear his mind to get that one damn sentence out clearly. Inside him, an unknown feeling had filled his lungs and blocked his throat, a feeling that had sprouted during their confrontation with the Yamainu a year ago, where Mion had selflessly tried to protect all of them from Takano's bullet.

Right. The bullet. The showdown. But why was he thinking of that now? It didn't have anything to do with what was going on now. What was he supposed to do again? Just say one sentence, and it'd be game, set, match. But that mystery feeling was still there, blockading his voice. Keiichi felt the eyes of his fellow club mates on him and realized he was still stammering. What was it?

"You **** Sonozaki Mion."

"Shut up." He angrily told the irritating voice in his head. For some reason, it sounded a lot like Shion. He wasn't quite sure what the voice was trying to tell him, but he could tell it wasn't anything he needed to hear.

What was going on with the game? Keiichi snapped back to reality, only to find himself staring directly at Mion's concerned eyes. Flicking his gaze upward, he realized it had been a full two minutes already. In the background, he could vaguely recognize Satoko's distinct laughter, presumably aimed at him. And still, that damn feeling wouldn't leave his throat.

"…I give up."

* * *

Mion, Rena, and Keiichi walked home together, the latter sporting a brand new schoolgirl uniform, an unusual silence hovering over them. Rather than gloating over her surprise victory, like Keiichi had assumed she would, the normally rambunctious teenager had seemed almost disappointed at the results, and remained unnaturally quiet on the way home so far.

At the very least, it seemed like even the normally oblivious teen had been able to notice the icy air Mion had been giving off the entire trip, Rena thought to herself. The auburn-haired girl sighed. It had been easy enough to guess what was going on, what with Shion's suspicious escape from the club, Keiichi's odd bravado in his game proposal, and with how the game in question was practically tailored to prey on Mion's weakness, something Keiichi would never have noticed. But more than likely, her friend's twin had expected her partner to _not_ chicken out, and instead fluster Mion, and maybe spur her into action. Instead, the guy had somehow managed to flub the opportunity. For Mion, it had probably been the ultimate insult, especially after Keiichi had bested the others, only to be unable to even get out those words to her.

But why? Rena had a sneaking suspicion, albeit no real proof. The sideways glances she had seen Keiichi shoot at Mion every so often definitely weren't those of a mere rivalry, even if the unaware boy hadn't noticed himself. Still, this wasn't something she felt she should really interfere with. Keiichi would have to figure out his problems by himself. But until then, she was stuck in the awkward space between the two.

Rena wondered if it wasn't too late to make an excuse and run off to treasure hunt.

As she thought of a way to reduce the current friction, Keiichi seemed to have made a decision, and looked towards the two of them. "Mion, can we talk about something? Er, alone, sorry Rena." He added, looking apologetically to his friend and flinching as she mechanically turned a piercing glare towards him.

The cold look in the next Sonozaki head's eyes seemed to have diminished somewhat as Keiichi addressed her, but still wasn't anywhere near completely vanishing. She considered for a second before finally letting a hint of warmth leak into her reply. "Only if you carry my bag to my house. We can talk there. Catch!"

Rena watched the bag soar gracefully through the air and directly into Keiichi's face, wincing as she remembered the heavy prep books her friend had been carrying lately. When she had asked about them, Mion had only given a mumbled reply of wanting to go to a good university, and looking, seemingly without realizing, at Keiichi. Rena had really wondered if the heiress, as street smart as she was, could muster up the grades to match Keiichi's surprising competence in that area, but it seemed like she really was trying her best. Forcing her eyes back to Keiichi's face, she was surprised to see none of the usual spirit that spouted from the two's arguments. "Yeah, that's fine. I'll see you tomorrow Rena." He turned to bid her farewell before starting down the path leading to the Sonozaki property. Mion seemed equally taken aback, but quickly raced to follow him, kicking him into a sprint.

Waving sadly, Rena mused on what the outcome of this particular event might be. At this point though, there wasn't anything she could really do for the two of them.

Until then, there was still that ADORABLE Hamburger King life-size statue she had seen at the dump the other day that she needed to dig out, and there were still at least another 5 hours before the sun would set at this time of year. The girl trotted back to her home to grab her trusty axe, ready to rescue her prize.

* * *

Mion looked down and shook her head in disappointment as Keiichi lay sprawled across her foyer, apparently already exhausted by the race in the summer heat. She would have to train him better. After flipping his skirt, she stepped over him and headed to the kitchen, looking for a drink as she waited for her friend to recover. By the time she finished chugging a cup of ice water, Keiichi had managed to enter the room. Mion made a face at the sweat now staining her custom-made sailor outfit. He had better properly wash that later. "Go change. I can't take you seriously when you're wearing cat stockings and a skirt, Kei-chan." The boy threw his arms up in mock exasperation of having to leave just as he entered, but seemed happy to comply. Pouring another glass of water, she wondered what to expect from the suddenly serious youth. It was pretty rare for Keiichi to cast off his joker persona, at least around her. It definitely didn't seem likely that he would have noticed the heartache he had caused her only a couple of hours ago.

Right. _That_ thing. Mion felt a sudden wave of exhaustion come over her as the last flare of anger dwelling inside her was extinguished by a growing ball of sorrow. Why hadn't Keiichi been able to go through with it? She knew she wasn't as pretty, or cute as someone like Rena, was that it? Did he just see her as too much of a guy? No, that couldn't be right, he had teased her as a girl back when he had given her the doll. But that had been so long ago, maybe what he thought of her had changed for the worse. So it really was that she wasn't attractive enough? The green haired heiress sighed. She supposed she had no one to blame but herself for being unable to successfully win over the numbskull, even with all of the advice that her sister had given her. "Who could really blame him," she glumly thought, "for preferring a sweet girl like Rena over someone who's always bullying him in our games?" Truth be told, she had no idea whether those two actually felt anything towards each other at all, but it definitely seemed possible, especially given how Keiichi had given Rena that doll after their club activity at the toy sto-

Mion blinked. No, that hadn't happened. That doll was safely nestled upstairs in her bad at the moment. And yet, the despair she could somehow recall upon imagining Keiichi telling her that the doll "didn't fit her anyway" was far deeper than any dream. The nightmares had been more vivid lately, with strange visions of bad Hinamizawas forcing their way into her sleep. Rena blowing up the school. Satoko's uncle coming back and completely _breaking_ her. All of her friends and family being led into the school and killed with poison gas. Things Mion didn't want to see, feel, or think about ever again.

But even amongst all those bloody scenes, there were also good memories, spots of hope that beat down the nightmares and comforted her as she awoke. Mion smiled as she 'remembered' how Keiichi had shattered the town's persecution towards Satoko, getting not just the school, but the whole town, and a good part of Okinomiya involved. In that dream, Keiichi had even gone up against her grandmother in order to win the village council's support, at one point threateningly to strangle her to save their younger friend. He had been joking, probably, but even so, she knew that that was the moment that that world's Mion had fully fallen in love with him.

There had been other good dreams too. One where Keiichi, Rika, and Satoko had snapped Rena out of her delusions. Another where she and her friends had happily spent an afternoon just competing in games. For some reason, there was one where she and Keiichi had teamed up and fought half of Hinamizawa to win a pair of magic love gems from the Furude Shrine, but she _had_ had a bad head cold that day. Regardless, some part of her couldn't help but feel that, even though these were just dreams, they were also precious things she couldn't leave behind.

Feeling a little better, Mion's thoughts strayed back to the boy who was somewhere in her house right now. Frowning lightly, she tried to forget about the events of earlier that day, instead looking for reasons that he might need to have a private conversation with her now.

Well, he might still be annoyed at her pantsing him in class a couple of days ago. Maybe he had finally decided to ask her to seriously ease up on her pranks, which, to be fair, had been escalating a lot lately. But really, it had just been too tempting an opportunity, especially since he had forgotten his belt that day.

As she wiped away a bit of drool from the memory of Keiichi's briefs, the boy in question reentered the room. Mion watched with curiosity what he planned to do, only to be left stupefied as Keiichi prostrated before her on his hands and knees.

"Mion! I'm sorry!"

That was unexpected.

* * *

"Huh? What for?" The green-haired girl casually retorted, seemingly ignoring the growing red in her cheeks.

With a slight grimace, Keiichi rose from the ground and met Mion's eyes uncertainly. Just a few minutes ago, they had clearly been filled with hurt. Though they looked better now, it didn't settle anything; he knew he was the reason his friend had suffered. "I'm just…sorry. For before. I wasn't able to play that game with you, and…I wanted you to know it wasn't because it was you."

Mion's eyes had widened in surprise before narrowing into a smile. Not fast enough though, at least not enough to fool him. "Ahahaha, you're still hung up over that, Kei-chan? Don't worry about it. Besides, it's natural for you to lose, right? And I get you as a slave for the next three days, after al-" The heiress cut off her line midway with a sharp inhale as Keiichi ignored her rambling and stepped forward to wrap his arms around her.

" _Ohgodohgodohgodohgodohgodohgod_ ," was the only thing filling Mion's head as she felt her body settle into the warmth provided by her crush's body so close, too close, to her own. She was uncomfortably aware of her own temperature skyrocketing; she'd bet her family fortune that her face was the same hue as her skirt at the minute. A vague feeling of déjà vu floated up inside her, but was quickly pushed aside by bubbles of simultaneous ecstasy and panic.

Then - too quickly -, it was over, as fast as it had begun. Keiichi stepped back, a very faint hint of red plastered on his expression, to stare down Mion once more. No longer having the energy to pretend, the girl merely looked back, and mumbled somewhat woozily, "How did you know?"

Keiichi was a lot of things, but 'perceptive' definitely wasn't a word he or his friends would use to describe him. He wasn't stupid, far from it, despite how he usually acted, but he could admit to himself that more than a fair share of problems had arose from his insensitiveness at times. But Mion was different.

"Dummy. Isn't it obvious I'd notice if my best friend was hurt?" He scoffed, ignoring the uncomfortable warmth steadily growing in his cheeks. Once before, sometime long ago, he had hurt Mion with his obliviousness. He didn't know how or when, but he just knew that it hadn't ended well for anyone involved. " _I won't make that mistake again._ "

Uncharacteristically timid, Mion just twiddled with her fingers and stared at the floor. "A-ah, I see, ahaha…"

An awkward silence fell between the two teens. Keiichi took the lull in the conversation to observe Mion's face, taking in every curve in her cheeks, the slight quivering of her lips, and the way her bangs just barely reached down enough to partially cover her eyes. He was positive now that he knew exactly why he had frozen up earlier. A small smile crept onto his face as he watched his club leader bashfully look pointedly away. The spark of a certain memory, something Shion had told him once before, during the club's battle with the Yamainu, ignited once more. At the time, combined with the pressure of the situation, it hadn't made any sense at all. But now, Keiichi could only hope against hope that his deduction was correct.

Was Shion right? Was it possible that someone like Mion Sonozaki actually held those kinds of feelings for someone like him? She was flawless; not only beautiful, but skilled in every field he could imagine. The memory of her effortlessly defeating Okonogi of the Yamainu floated through his head. He smiled as he recalled the sight of Mion, triumphantly standing over the defeated commander, her back to the club as if she was shielding them from the murderous foes before them. Looking back now, he could laugh at the scene, how he and his friends had beaten Takano against all odds, but at the time, he had felt nothing but fear for his friend. Mion, who wouldn't lose to any opponent. Mion, who could do anything. Who kicked his ass in club battles every day, who had been ready to give everything for them, who would make fun of him one moment and then watch him with concern to make sure he wasn't actually hurt the next, when she thought no one was watching. His best friend, worst enemy, greatest ally, most terrifying opponent, and ****.

No, there wasn't any way it could be true. Keiichi was just Keiichi. Average with everything but his words, dead last in club activities half the time, just a punk who had shot a little girl's eye with an airsoft gun. Someone like him with Mion wasn't something even in the realm of possibility.

"Kei-chan."

He rose with a start, realizing Mion had met his gaze at some point. "Y-yeah, what is it?"

The girl looked to resolve herself, and took a deep breath before speaking. "Play that game with me one more time. A rematch, punishment game on the line of course." A light grin spread across her face, her usual spirit emerging and breaking the careful air between the two. Keiichi gulped but stepped forward without a word. If this game was the only time in his life he'd ever get to tell her what he wanted to say, he wasn't going to waste the chance.

As he looked his opponent in the eye, he was pretty sure he had lost this game before it even began. He felt his cheeks heat up as he faced Mion, who was noticeably quivering in trepidation. She might want to be treated more like a girl, but she was probably still weak to this kind of thing, Keiichi thought to himself.

It was now or never.

"I love you."

A sharp intake of breath pierced the air. A moment of silence passed.

"…o…once more." Mion squeaked, eyes cast to the floor. This time it was Keiichi's turn to hesitate, before balling his fists and speaking once again.

"Sonozaki Mion, I love you." Keiichi felt a great weight soar off his shoulders as the words flew from his lips. It was taking everything in his power to not turn from the girl in question in embarrassment, and to instead watch her reaction. For her part, the Sonozaki heiress looked as though her heart had stopped on the spot. Steam seemed to be rising from the top of her head, and her face had become a gorgeous Christmas tree of red accentuated by her green hair. Slowly, she recovered, and raised her head to meet Keiichi's eyes again. The two stared at each other in silence for a minute, only to simultaneously burst out in laughter, the absurdity of the situation finally getting through.

"Ahahaha, you lost, Kei-chan." Mion announced, trying to save face and conveniently ignoring that her own face felt as red as Keiichi's looked.

"Huh? No way, you definitely blushed first! Hell, you've been the same color as your own tie since I walked in here!" the boy protested. Mion just stuck her tongue at out the offending party.

"Too bad. We don't have any witnesses to prove it, and I called it first. Accept your punishment game like a man already."

Keiichi grumbled, but Mion could see from the slightly raised corners of his mouth that he wasn't really upset about it. "And? What do you want me to do?"

Sneering, Mion stood, ready to run to her room and grab a bunny girl costume to stuff him in. But something froze her before she could follow through. An idea had flashed into her head, one that had come up dozens of times before but that she had never seriously considered.

Mion gulped, well aware of Keiichi's curious eyes still on her, wary in anticipation of his punishment. Deep purple, resolute yet gentle, met green.

"Kiss me."

The world seemed to freeze around her as the words sounded through the dead quiet room. For one heart stopping moment, nobody moved. Then, without a word, Keiichi stepped toward her.

He was, Mion was quietly pleased to note, somehow an even more vivid shade of crimson than he had been a second ago. If her own heart hadn't been threatening to leap out of her chest, she might have laughed, but it was taking all of her own willpower to stay calm, or at least not run away. Suddenly self-conscious, she became aware that she was still sweaty from when the two had raced to her house. Shit. Her hair wasn't messed up, was it? Why was Keiichi so close? _Oh God, too close._ Had he always been this tall? Had she ever seen that kind of expression on him before? Wait, his face was too close, way too close. Was he actually going to do it? He hadn't stopped or said anything. Did he WANT to kiss h-

And suddenly, emptiness. Time stopped as Mion's mind ceased to function. Some bare remnant of her consciousness, just barely there, could feel something on her virgin lips. What was it? Slowly, her vision came back to focus, then her mind. Her best friend, her crush, was actually kissing her. Mion was faintly aware of her own arms that had wrapped around Keiichi's waist somehow without her noticing.

Then, just as quickly and far too suddenly, it ended. The boy reluctantly shuffled back, neither he or the girl able to meet the other's eyes. Mion slowly pulled her arms back to her sides, still shaking as she thought about what had just happened. Keiichi, too, looked uncertain, a look of trepidation clear on his face as he awaited his partner's reaction. Mion felt a calm and a smile arise from within her, even if her face was still too rigid to completely express it.

"6 out 10, Kei-chan."

"… _what_. 6 out of 10 for what?"

"What do you think? That was a real lazy kiss, you know. That was your first time with a girl, right?"

"Why do you care? And wait, what are you trying to say with that last part?"

"You know, n-next time, you could always try using your hands or something, bring the girl closer to you, you know? And, and, maybe, you know, use…that…" Mion mumbled, pointing towards her mouth, false bravado giving way to a pitiful, if cute, squeak. "U-uncle Mion is just trying to help you out with your lady skills, I hope you know!"

Keiichi shook his head in mock annoyance, desperately fighting back the smile preparing to burst from within him. "Hey, I can't get better at that kind of thing with cheap advice like that. But since you're so interested in my love life, I guess it's going to fall on you to help me practice…right?" He could hardly dare to believe the words that had spun from his own mouth. Words he never thought he would have said to the tomboyish club leader who had become his first and closest friend in Hinamizawa. And yet, it felt so right.

Mion's eyes had widened at the proposition, the usual swagger of the Game Club leader absolutely nowhere to be seen as the girl spent a minute stammering out a reply before finally settling on a single word answer.

"…yeah."

* * *

"By the way, Kei-chan," Mion turned to the boy in question, who was comfortably leaning against her on the couch, the two simply enjoying each other's company. "It wasn't you that came up with the idea to play that game in the first place, was it? I didn't realize at first, but…" The situation had ended well, but Mion definitely had more than one bone to pick with whoever had set it up like this in the first place. And there was only one person who would try to directly interfere with her love life like this.

"Oh. Actually, I kind of met Shion in Okinomiya the other day. You're right, I don't really know why, but she suggested that game, saying that there's no way you'd be able to win in it. Or something."

* * *

Shion froze in place as her sister's voice came in over the bug she had planted on Keiichi earlier. The ice and malice dripping from Mion's words was obvious even across this distance. " _Ohhhh, is that so? I'll have to personally show her my gratitude later then_."

She sighed. Keiichi would owe her big time for this.


End file.
